Enterprise IT cloud company, ServiceNow, has developed ServiceNow Cloud Provisioning, a new orchestration application that enables IT to automate the entire cloud management lifecycle.
From self-service cloud selection to automated, standardised cloud creation and resource optimisation, ServiceNow Cloud Provisioning speeds the deployment of cloud environments from weeks or months to just minutes.
Cloud administration can be transformed from day-to-day IT management overhead to an automated business self-service, all within parameters determined by IT and without any specialist training.
Together with the ServiceNow IT Service Automation Application Suite, Cloud Provisioning aims to optimise the management of heterogeneous cloud environments within a single, integrated system of record.
Business users can request cloud infrastructure through an intuitive self-service interface using the ServiceNow Service Catalog.Cloud Provisioning orchestrates a fully automated process to provision clouds based on Amazon EC2 or VMware in minutes. ServiceNow Change Management then allows the definition and enforcement of change policies for full change control.
Through lifecycle automation, resources can be leased and include retirement provisions or scheduled reviews to determine necessity, thereby eliminating the common problem of virtual machine sprawl and optimizing utilisation of virtual infrastructure.
The cloud operations portal also provides a consolidated view of virtual asset status, the state of resource requests and provisioning exceptions.
Matt Schvimmer, VP of product management, ServiceNow, said: "While cloud computing brings efficiency and agility to the enterprise, companies are using old means of management, resulting in tremendous waste of resources and slow responsiveness to cloud provisioning needs.
"With ServiceNow Cloud Provisioning, IT can now effectively manage heterogeneous cloud environments through zero-touch automation thus accelerating business transformation."
Mary Johnson Turner, research VP, Enterprise Systems Management Software, IDC, commented: "IT organisations that implement extensive automation and orchestration technologies can significantly improve operational productivity and end-to-end service levels.
"A consistent user interface that is tightly integrated with the cloud provisioning workflow automation engine is a critical enabler in helping IT to improve business performance across the enterprise."
